What are the special sports

Currently, the special sports recognized by international and domestic official sports departments have covered track and field, ball games, water sports, fighting, ice and snow, automobiles, aviation and navigation, intellectual sports and other directions. The Olympic-related special sports recognized by the International Olympic Committee alone include more than 40 major sports and nearly 300 subdivided sports. Adding the Asian Olympic-level and local characteristics special sports, the total number has already exceeded 1,000.

The table tennis, diving, and short track speed skating that we usually see in the Olympic arena are the most typical mature specialties. Each has unified rules, scoring standards, advanced training systems, and level certification paths. It is not just a matter of just gathering a few people to compete twice and counting. I used to know a parent of a child who practiced rock climbing. When rock climbing was not included in the Olympics in 2016, they were always worried that their children would be "not doing their job properly" by practicing this. There would be no place to get a certificate and they would not be able to develop their specialties. Now rock climbing has long become an official Olympic sport. With a second-level athlete certificate, you can apply for admission to many high-level sports teams in colleges and universities. The treatment is no different from traditional sports such as football and basketball. I have a friend who has been running amateur marathons for 5 years. He finished in the top eight in the men's category of the provincial marathon last year. When he went to apply for a grade certificate, he realized that the marathon he had been running was actually a special road running event under the category of track and field. It had long been officially recognized as a formal event. Before, he always felt that he was just a casual running enthusiast and was not connected to a "special event" at all.

Of course, not all special sports have to be included in the Olympics. Our country's traditional martial arts routines and Sanda, as well as e-sports that have been officially formalized at the Asian Games, as well as dragon boat racing, dragon and lion dances that have been popular among the people for thousands of years, all have official event systems and level certifications, and belong to the category of formal special sports. For example, in the annual Dragon Boat Festival Dragon Boat Races in the Pearl River Delta region, many team members are trained according to the standards of specialized athletes. They start to control their diet, practice strength, and improve their coordination two months before the competition. The intensity is no lower than that of professional teams.

There has been an ongoing debate about whether emerging sports should be considered special events, such as lure fishing and flag football, which have become popular in the past two years. Supporters believe that there is already a complete national competition system. Professional players need to practice throwing accuracy, tactical coordination, and physical reserves. The amount of training is no less than that of traditional ball games, and they can fully meet the special standards. Opponents believe that such sports are too entertainment-oriented, and the rules have not been fully unified. For the time being, they can only be regarded as leisure sports. Both sides have their own reasons, and there is currently no unified conclusion.

For ordinary enthusiasts, there is no need to worry about classification. If you just want to move and sweat, you can play whatever you want. If you want to participate in the competition to get a certificate, take a professional path, or go to school with special skills, just check the official competition event catalog updated every year by the State Sports General Administration. The above list is all officially recognized special events that can be used in practice.